Brewer: No more debates - period  —  PHOENIX - Arizona voters won't be seeing any more debates between the top gubernatorial contenders.  —  Incumbent Republican Jan Brewer said Thursday she has no intention of participating in any more events with Democrat Terry Goddard.

The Senate's In Play  —  For much of this year, it seemed a near mathematical impossibility that Republicans could score the 10-seat net gain needed to flip the Senate, which is split between 59 Democrats (including two independents who caucus with Democrats and largely vote with the party) and 41 Republicans.

PRIVATE-SECTOR JOB GROWTH.... In the last post, we talked about the new monthly jobs report, with the chart we've all come to know and love.  But many of you have emailed to suggest it's time for a slightly different chart — one showing just the private sector job market.  —  It's a fair request.

The irony of Jesse Jackson's stripped SUV  —  Add Jesse Jackson's ride to prominent vehicles being stripped in Detroit.  —  Following the embarrassing news that Mayor Dave Bing's GMC Yukon was hijacked by criminals this week, Detroit's Channel 7 reports that the Reverend's Caddy Escalade SUV …

Repeal the 17th amendment?  —  During our discussion of the filibuster today — which you can stream over at C-SPAN's Web site — Heritage's Brian Darling talked a bit about the Senate's important role as a voice for the states.  Responding to a questioner, he went so far as to say he'd consider repeal …

Democrat won't apologize for joke about Pelosi  —  Democratic Rep. Bobby Bright (Ala.) said Thursday he was “very surprised” his joke about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dying attracted a large amount of attention, but that he would not apologize for it.  —  Bright, a centrist Blue Dog who voted …

AP: ‘Combat in Iraq is not over, and we should not uncritically repeat suggestions that it is’  —  Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 5:30 PM  —  Subject: Standards Center guidance: The situation in Iraq  —  Many AP staffers are producing content that refers to the situation in Iraq.

Dems have few options on economy  —  With another tepid jobs report in the books Friday, Democrats desperate for quick policy action to boost the economy face an excruciating dilemma, experts say.  —  The few things that might pass Congress — such as a payroll tax holiday or extended research …

Colo. GOP tries to push Maes out  —  Top Colorado Republicans are attempting to convince gubernatorial nominee Dan Maes to drop his bid for governor by the end of Friday, a well-placed Republican in the state tells POLITICO.  —  In a meeting Friday morning, party chairman Dick Wadhams …

AFL-CIO president to Sarah Palin: Change or be linked with McCarthyism  —  AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka charged that if Republican political star Sarah Palin is not more careful in her choice of words, the political movement she has helped to create will be linked with 1950s McCarthyism.

Pentagon declined to investigate hundreds of purchases of child pornography  —  A 2006 Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation into the purchase of child pornography online turned up more than 250 civilian and military employees of the Defense Department—including …

Backer of NYC mosque gave to Hamas-linked charity  —  NEW YORK - One of the investors in a proposed Islamic center near ground zero is a Long Island medical clinic owner whose expressions of sympathy for Palestinians included a donation to a charity later shut down for links to Hamas.

Tea Party candidate sparks backlash in Delaware  —  The Tea Party Express launched new ads supporting Delaware Republican primary Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell.  —  Washington (CNN) - Fresh on the heels of Joe Miller's surprising win over Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Alaska Republican Senate primary …

Wyden Undermines President's Signature Bill  —  Jay Cost noted that Democratic senator Ron Wyden sent a letter last week to Oregon health authority director Bruce Goldberg, in which Wyden states that the federal government “has never had the flexibility” or the “will” to implement “innovative solutions” to our health care woes.

How to End the Great Recession  —  THIS promises to be the worst Labor Day in the memory of most Americans.  Organized labor is down to about 7 percent of the private work force.  Members of non-organized labor — most of the rest of us — are unemployed, underemployed or underwater.

Senior Florida Democrat bucks party, endorses Crist  —  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist received a surprising endorsement on Thursday.  —  (CNN) - The highest ranking Democrat in Florida's state Senate on Thursday endorsed Republican-turned-independent Gov. Charlie Crist in his bid for the U.S. Senate.

Peter Orszag to Write New York Times Op-Ed Column  —  Peter Orszag, economist and former director of the Office of Management and Budget, will become a contributing columnist for The New York Times Op-Ed page.  Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7, his columns will appear one to two times a month …

Survey USA poll shows Whitman, Fiorina leading in CA  —  Welcome to California ... the Red State.  At least that's what Survey USA finds in its latest poll of likely voters in the gubernatorial and Senate races, where Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina still lead.

Perspective, boys, perspective  —  As I recall, National Review endorsed John McCain over J.D. Hayworth.  I don't recall any concerns mentioned about his Keating Five role or his widely reported temper tantrums.  No, J.D., we were told, had all kinds of flaws.

Libtalker, Guest Ponder Glenn Beck Torture Methods  —  E-BECK-TROCUTION?  —  Lefties Devise New Torture Fantasies For FOX Talker  —  To those working inside the left-wing media's smear factory, the toughest job these days must surely be cooking up fresh new ways to destroy one's political opponents.

The Alternate History  —  The Democrats could be heading toward a defeat of historic proportions in November, but it is possible to imagine a scenario in which things might have turned out differently:  —  On Dec. 16, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama and his senior aides gathered for a briefing on the state of the U.S. economy.